Wiring Different Solar Panels Together

In fact by wiring several solar panels in series we increase the voltage keeping the same current while wiring them in parallel we increase the current keeping the same voltage.

Wiring different solar panels together.

Firstly lets take a look at connecting solar panels in series. The white line is the negative connection all 3 panel negative wires are just simply tied together and to the wire that runs back to the negative connection on the charge controller. Solar panels are usually connected in series to obtain higher output voltage. The amps of electrical current for each solar panel are summed together but the system voltage stays the same.

The positive wires are connected to a positive connector within a combiner box and the negative wires are connected to the negative connector. Another option is to take multiple solar panels and wire them together to equal the same output as the other mismatched panel. There are two ways to wire up solar panels. For instance in the demo below we have a 100w 24v panel and some 50w 12v panels.

This is the same wattage as the previous sixteen panel system and thus has a great amount of power. The red line is the positive connection to the panels. In the solar industry. When an installer wires your solar panels in parallel each panel s wires are connected to a centralized wire leading from the roof.

Both have their own purpose and applications and both have different outcomes when hooking up solar panels of different wattage together. Connecting solar panels in parallel is just the opposite of series connection and is used to increase the total output current of the array and hence the total output power while keeping the same voltage. To have a functional solar pv system you need to wire the panels together to create an electrical circuit through which current will flow and you also need to wire the panels to the inverter that will convert the dc power produced by the panels to ac power that can be used in your home and sent to the grid. Wiring your solar panels in parallel results in more wires running from your solar panel system.

The connection of multiple solar panels in parallel arises from the need to reach certain current values at the output without changing the voltage. When solar panels are wired in parallel the positive terminal from one panel is connected to the positive terminal of another panel and the negative terminals of the two panels are connected together. What we can do is wire the two 12v panels in series plus to minus and then we can wire it in parallel with the 24v panel.